Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins (Music in American Life)

Diane Diekman

$19.95

Publication Date: July 17th, 2015

Publisher:

University of Illinois Press

ISBN:

9780252081255

Pages:

320

Description

Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is the first biography of this legendary country music artist and NASCAR driver who scored sixteen number-one hits and two Grammy awards. Yet even with fame and fortune, Marty Robbins always yearned for more.

Drawing from personal interviews and in-depth research, biographer Diane Diekman explains how Robbins saw himself as a drifter, a man always searching for self-fulfillment and inner peace. Born Martin David Robinson to a hardworking mother and an abusive alcoholic father, he never fully escaped the insecurities burned into him by a poverty-stricken nomadic childhood in the Arizona desert. In 1947 he got his first gig as a singer and guitar player. Too nervous to talk, the shy young man walked onstage singing. Soon he changed his name to Marty Robbins, cultivated his magnetic stage presence, and established himself as an entertainer, songwriter, and successful NASCAR driver.

For fans of Robbins, NASCAR, and classic country music, Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is a revealing portrait of this well-loved, restless entertainer, a private man who kept those who loved him at a distance.

About the Author

Diane Diekman, a retired U.S. Navy captain, is the author of Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story;Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born; and A Farm in the Hidewood: My South Dakota Home.

Praise for Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins (Music in American Life)

Belmont Country Music Book of the Year Award, 2013.

"A detailed account of the life and career of country music superstar Marty Robbins. Anyone interested in Robbins or the country music world of his long era will enjoy Diane Diekman's refreshing, compelling narrative." --Ronnie Pugh, author of Ernest Tubb: The Texas Troubadour

"A well-told and informative biography of a great but over looked country star."--Country Music People

"A top country & western artist who crossed over to the pop charts, Marty Robbins deserves this well-written, well-researched account of his life and music. Diekman's expert history is a welcome addition to the oeuvre of classic country music biography."

--Holly George-Warren, author of Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry

"Diekman propels the narrative with impressive detail and energy, leaving the reader with an impression that can only echo the admiration and respect of those who knew him."--The Austin Chronicle

"In her excellent new, 2012 biography, Diane Diekman explores the personal, more nuanced side of this unique and gifted talent and explains how he was painfully shy by nature."--American Cowboy